Hornbeck likes being the center of things dealing with his writing. In this caption he persuades Rachel to take a look at his work, and see what she thinks. He is trying to show her that he believes in what Bert Cates was teaching his students, and that Hornbeck won't go against her or the cause.
A sweet, sad song about the Hillsboro heretic,
B. Cates: boy-Socrates, latter-day Dreyfus, Romeo with a biology book.
Close, we all know that Hornbeck is in love with his writing and the sound of his own voice. And, he is very much trying to pursuade Rachel (but that comes along a little later with the allusions to The Garden of Eden). Here he is comparing Cates to these historical and literary figures for emphasis on the town's wrongful accusations against Bert.
A sweet, sad song about the Hillsboro heretic,
B. Cates: boy-Socrates, latter-day Dreyfus,
Romeo with a biology book.
Close, we all know that Hornbeck is in love with his writing and the sound of his own voice. And, he is very much trying to pursuade Rachel (but that comes along a little later with the allusions to The Garden of Eden). Here he is comparing Cates to these historical and literary figures for emphasis on the town's wrongful accusations against Bert.
How is bert like all of these people?